Honoring Rep Lois DeBerry

The late, great Rep. Lois M. DeBerry will be honored with a bust in front of the glass and steel panel walls of the Memphis Suffrage Monument, "Equality Trailblazers." This monument will be a part of the Memphis Heritage Trail, the TN Woman Suffrage Heritage Trail, and the National Votes for Women Trail.  The bust, sculpted by artist Alan LeQuire, will sit on a steel pedestal and be visible from the Mississippi River.  Here are some highlights about Rep. DeBerry:

·   First black woman elected to the General Assembly from Shelby County in 1972 and the second statewide.

·   Won re-election 20 times straight.

·   Served as House speaker pro tempore, elected by her House colleagues, from 1987 until 2011.

·   First woman to hold the office and had the longest tenure in it in state history. 

·   One of the state's most effective political leaders, a bridge between the Black Caucus and the legislature's top leadership and governors.

At the time of her death in July 2013, she was the longest serving member of the Tennessee House. She was also a national leader in numerous organizations and an active longtime Delta Sigma Theta member.